231. Telegram From the Embassy in Finland to the Department of State0
69. Reference: Embtel 62.1 Highly dependable source2 with whom I discussed various matters today referred to Finnish decision postponing equipment its armed forces with guided missiles (re Embtel 53)3 and said that this action reflected President Kekkonen’s unhappiness over Western attitude toward Finland and his desire to demonstrate that he is bound by no secret rearmament agreements with Soviet Union. He feels that he is unreasonably mistrusted in West and that “good results his American visit seem to have run dry”. He is inclined reproach Finnish military with having been over eager modernize and equip themselves with guided missiles and blame them for having pushed matter too fast. From remarks both by this source and another one,4 I believe that his mood and decision have apparently been greatly influenced by reports received from Finnish Military attache Washington of attitudes displayed and remarks made in Pentagon.
Both sources have given me impression that President is in somewhat disturbed and unhappy mood and feels badly hurt over what he considers Western misunderstanding of his difficult position and apparent Western failure to believe his repeated assurances that he undertook no secret agreements at Novosibirsk.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 760E.5612/8–862. Secret; Limit Distribution; No Distribution Outside Department.↩
- Telegram 62, August 6, reported that Gufler had received an album documenting Kekkonen’s visit to the United States and planned to use the occasion of its delivery to explore Kekkonen’s reaction to recent developments. Gufler requested instructions from the Department on whether to follow this suggested approach. (Ibid., 760E.11/8–762)↩
- A handwritten note on the source text identifies Hallama as the source.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 229.↩
- A handwritten note on the source text identifies Jakobson as the source.↩